Page 26 of Curvy Hostage Mate
“I mean it,” I said firmly. “You’re amazing.”
“Let me know when you have data to back that up with,” she quipped.
I laughed, coming to crouch in front of her so we were at eye level. Without realizing what I was doing, my hands went to hers and clasped them, holding onto them as I stared into those stunning emerald eyes.
“First of all, you managed to hold out against those cronies that barged into the old safehouse for a long time,” I said. “Without being able to use any sort of defensive or offensive magic against them. That takes skill and resourcefulness.”
I reached out and tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear. My hand lingered, cupping her cheek. I didn’t think she realized it when she leaned into it, her eyes fluttering briefly shut.
“And that’s not including the fact that you survived being kidnapped and traded as a slave for years.”
“I had my sister,” she muttered.
“You didn’t when Cain took an interest in you,” I pointed out. “You were on your own with that asshole for months. I’m not going to ask you what he did or said to you, or how shitty he treated you, unless you want to tell me. But you managed to endure it. I’ve been on missions with guys who aren’t as strong as you.”
She didn’t say anything. Seemed almost incapable of saying anything. I tilted her head so she had to look me in the eye.
“You need to start giving yourself more credit,” I said, my thumb stroking across her cheekbone.
She coughed, pink flushing her cheeks as she glanced away. I didn’t miss the tears filling her eyes, but I pretended not to notice.
“You’re cute when you blush, you know that?” I teased.
She gave a small laugh before sniffing. “And you’re a shameless flirt,” she fired back.
“Guilty as charged,” I grinned, then leaned forward so our faces were inches apart. “But only with the pretty girls.”
“Now I know you’re lying,” she said.
“I never lie about things like that,” I said. “You just need to start believing it yourself.”
“Have fun trying to get that to happen,” she said. “It’s been an ongoing problem since I was a kid.”
I grinned. “I’ll keep pestering you until you do. And that’s a promise.”
She smiled briefly before her brow furrowed in concentration. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and I realized after a brief moment that it wasn’t because she was embarrassed. She was thinking. I stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt her concentration even as my eyes remained locked on her.
“He uses protective magic,” she said, her eyes finally fluttering open again. “Pretty strong stuff. I’ve seen it in action. There have been guys who think they’re above his rules and have tried taking swipes at him, only for it to do absolutely nothing. But that sort of magic isn’t something you can continually perform. It would require constant concentration. More likely than not, it’s in…” she trailed off as her eyes widened. “That ring,” she stated.
“Ring?”
“He has a ring that he fiddles with fairly regularly. A ruby one. I always felt like there was something off about it, but I couldn’t be sure. If I had to guess, it’s enchanted to protect him.”
I thought back to Declan’s office. There had been a ring on Cain’s finger, and he’d twirled it idly when he was gloating.
“And would getting it off him stop the protective magic?” I asked.
“If I’m right? Then yes. Though that still leaves the problem of getting it off his finger in the first place.”
I flapped my hand as I continued to take notes. “We can worry about that later. This is still incredibly useful information.”
“It is?” she asked, sounding more than a little dubious.
I gave a loud laugh. “Of course it is. We wouldn’t have gotten this info if it weren’t for you. And if we didn’t know it, we’d go in half-assed and unprepared. Thank you.”
Her cheeks turned a delicate pink, and she gave a tiny, timid smile. “In that case, I’m glad I was able to help.”
“I told you that you should give yourself more credit,” I said.
